Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation,
a magnificent interstellar dust cloud by
chance has assumed this recognizable shape.
Fittingly named the
Horsehead
Nebula, it is some 1,500 light-years distant,
embedded in the vast Orion
cloud complex.
About five light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as
Barnard 33
and is visible only because its obscuring dust is
silhouetted against the glowing red
emission
nebula IC 434.
Contrasting blue reflection
nebula NGC 2023 is visible on the lower left.
In this gorgeous color
image, both Horsehead and NGC 2023 seem to be caught in beams
of light shining from above -- but
the beams are actually just internal reflections
from bright star
Sigma
Orionis, just off the upper edge
of the view.